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Koori possum skin cloaks

Prepared by Lee Darroch, Yorta Yorta

Possum skin cloaks are sacred to us as Koori people. Traditionally the manufacture of a possum skin cloak was a laborious process. First, the men of the tribe would hunt the possums. A smoky fire would be built at the base of a tree. The men would then cut toeholds into the tree and climb it to club the possums as they fled the smoke. The men would then skin the possums, scrape the skins clean with mussel shell or stone scrapers and peg them out on a bark board by the fire to slowly dry from the smoke and the sun. Once cured, the skins were incised by the women with sharp mussel shells or stones with special patterns. The incised patterning had significant meaning for it denoted the wearer’s status in the group, their totem, their clan, their tribe, their country and their personal mark. The pelts — as many as 81 — were then carefully stitched together using kangaroo tail sinew and a bone awl.

Traditionally Aboriginal people from Victoria wore possum skin cloaks for a wide range of practical, cultural and spiritual reasons. Possum skin cloaks kept our people safe and warm throughout the colder months. Whole families would sleep under an exceptionally large cloak at night. When our babies were born they were wrapped in a possum skin cloak and carried on their mother’s back. As our children grew into toddlers a special child-size cloak was made for them. This cloak "grew" as the child grew, with more panels being added over time.

Possum skin cloaks had great ceremonial and spiritual significance. During corroboree, Koori women would sit cross-legged on the ground with their cloaks carefully stretched over their knees. The cloaks were then banged like a drum. Eye witnesses attest that their drum beat could be heard many kilometres away from the site of the dancing and singing of the corroboree. Finally, when our people died, they were laid to rest wrapped in their possum skin cloaks so that they passed on literally wrapped in their country.

It is because our people were laid to rest in their possum skin cloaks that there are only five of the old, traditional possum skin cloaks left in the world. Two of these cloaks from the 1800s are in the Melbourne Museum. In 1999, a group of Koori artists, of whom I was one, were making etchings of the traditional artefacts in the museum. Vicki Couzens and I saw the Lake Condah cloak in its storage box underneath the museum and it had a profound effect on us. It was a very moving, spiritual experience. We decided from that moment on to teach ourselves and then other Kooris how to make possum skin cloaks and to revive the ancient craft of cloak-making. The poor condition of both the Lake Condah cloak from the 1880s and the Maiden’s Punt (Echuca) cloak from 1853 led us to decide to recreate these cloaks for our children’s children to see. This would continue the cultural tradition of cloak-making. Vicki and her sister Debra Couzens – both Gunditjmara artists – then recreated the Lake Condah cloak. After gaining the approval of our Yorta Yorta Council of Elders, Treahna Hamm and I then recreated the Echuca possum skin cloak. These two cloaks are now part of the permanent collection of the National Museum of Australia and are part of the First Australians' exhibit.

Since then, as part of the Commonwealth Games, we have gone on to teach every language group in Victoria how to make a possum skin cloak. 35 out of the 37 language groups now have a possum skin cloak. Victoria Koori Elders and community representatives from these 35 groups wore their cloaks as part of the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. There are now hundreds of Kooris who are able to practice the craft of cloak-making and the cloaks are now used within our communities for ceremonies, openings, launches and even for babies' christenings.

The glass possum skin cloak panels in the foyer of the new Oxfam Australia building in Carlton, Melbourne, were specially designed by Koori artists Treahna Hamm (Yorta Yorta), Maree Clarke (Mutti Mutti, Wamba Wamba and Yorta Yorta) and Lee Darroch (Yorta Yorta). The glass panels were made by the artists at the Koori glassworks, Wathaurong Glass, in North Geelong, Victoria. The three panels behind the reception desk were designed and manufactured by Treahna Hamm.

Treahna says of her work:

Maree’s panel sits opposite the reception desk. She says her work

My possum skin cloak panel sits adjacent to Maree’s design and opposite the reception desk. My cloak symbolises the different cultural sites that are important to Koori Victoria. It depicts Dhungula (the Murray River) and Yalooka (the Campapse River) which are both sacred sites for my people, the Yorta Yorta. The Whroo waterhole, which my late father showed me as a child, symbolises the central part of Victoria. The Crags overlooking Deen Maar Island to the west are shown. Finally, to the east there is Gragin (Stony Island) in the Gippsland Lakes. As Koori people we are linked to these sacred sites by our past, the present and the future. I believe that by drawing my country I make it stronger.

I hope that by visiting Oxfam and seeing our possum skin cloak designs you will gain a better understanding of us as Koori people.

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